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The crazy apes arrive on PSP. Ape Escape: On the Loose is a port of 1999’s PlayStation hit: Ape Escape. The game has received some noticeable presentation upgrades for its PSP iteration, but nonetheless doesn’t quite feel as adequate as the PS1 version of the game. Ape Escape was the first game to truly use the dual analog sticks on the Dual Shock. As you are well aware, the PSP only has one.
In Ape Escape: On the Loose, you play as Spike as he tries to prevent Spector, a super genius monkey, from rewriting the Earth’s history. Spector apparently found some sort of helmet that greatly increased his intellectual abilities, and decided that monkey should be the Earth’s main race.
The game will take you through a number of levels, each belonging to a world. Each world is modeled after a different time period, as you attempt to avert the monkeys from screwing things up. To accomplish this, you’ll need to catch a number of monkeys in each level. Ape Escape: On the Loose doesn’t deviate far from the typical Ape Escape formula. To accomplish this, you’ll rely on a number of gadgets (more of which are found throughout the game). These gadgets include a slingshot, radar, and the stun club. Overall, the action is light-hearted and interesting.
Aside from the single-player mode, the game also includes a number of multiplayer modes. Two-player multiplayer is supported, although only locally (direct PSP-to-PSP connection). These modes include Ping-Pong, Snowboarding, and Boxing. Of course, monkeys are present during these modes. Everyone loves cute little monkeys, right? The game doesn’t take itself very seriously and this is readily apparent in the multiplayer modes.
As I mentioned above, the Ape Escape franchise has traditionally relied on the Dual Shock’s dual analog sticks for control. The PSP only has one analog nub, so some changes had to be made to the control. Some of the changes still feel intuitive. For example, some gadgets previously required you to rotate the right analog stick. This has been changed to repeated button presses. Other changes are a bit less natural. Previously, you controlled gadgets via the right-analog stick. Now, you’ll select (using the face buttons) and also use (using the same buttons) the gadgets. While this works relatively well, it isn’t as precise. Many times, you’ll be aiming at the wrong direction.
Ape Escape: On the Loose is a graphically proficient game, although it is nothing extraordinary. The game has a light-hearted feel, and this is illustrated by the charming graphics. Some may complain that it is too “kiddy,” though. The monkeys are cute, and the human characters are charming as well. The environments are adequate. Overall, the game looks much closer to PS2’s Ape Escape 2 than the PSone’s Ape Escape. The only major graphical problems occur with the camera. Sometimes it lags a little behind the action, although you can manually control it should you choose to.
The audio is equally delightful. The cheerful music complements the jovial sound effects very well. The voice acting is purposely sharp, though it is hardly annoying.
Ape Escape: On the Loose is a solid adventure/platform game for the PSP. It could have been a great game, but the PSP’s limitations simply did not allow this to happen. Nonetheless, Sony worked around the hardware difficulties as best as they could. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Apr 27, 2005
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